Looking for advice on a used(2016) or New Prii

Good afternoon everyone.

I will be buying my first Prius soon to replace my current car (Developing some problems, and will likely need wheel bearing and a cv joint soon), and am torn between a new vs a used one. Being in Western MT, I don't have many options. I have narrowed my options of what is available around me to a new Prius (LE, AWD-e) for about 26.5k, or a used 2016 Prius with 67k miles, listed at 19k.

I like the savings with the used, but I also am more concerned about what would be cheaper for me over the long term. My concerns with the used 2016 are what kind of maintenance is typical for a Prius of this age, And am concerned about the hybrid system, and combustion engine, since the power train warranty has expired soon, and there are only 3 years left on the hybrid warranty

I would not mind doing my own maintenance, but as I rent my housing, I would probably have to pay about 35 an hour to rent a garage stall and tools from a local diy auto repair place to do anything major, so maintenance is a moderate concern.

I guess in the end, my questions are what is the typical lifespan of a Prius, assuming it is taken care of, in miles and years? And when should I expect to have to do maintenance above the typical oil, filters, tires, and brakes.

Given my (limited) options, what would be the better deal here if I'm looking to keep whichever Prius I purchase, until it starts to cost more to maintain than makes financial sense, or becomes unreliable.

Finally, if I decide to check out the used Prius, what specifically should I be looking for for issues, and if it has been taken care of?

Thank you all for your feedback, and I look forward to joining the Prius family.

 

That sounds like a steal,. I would not have a place to plug it in, but I suppose the larger battery would be useful out here in the mountains for Regen going down, and more power going up. Only thing is, I am out in Western Montana, so not sure how I could take advantage of the pricing / incentives.

 

Thanks for your reply,

Im not sure what trim it is, but from the posting, seems to be a very well-equipped model, with pretty much the works (has the lane assist, HUD, Navigation, radar cruise, auto high/low beams, sirus cd radio with the premium sound, and a sun roof, so probably one of the higher trim levels. I am not allowed to link the post due to being brand new to the forum, so I can't link the posting, unfortunately.

What trim levels came with which batteries, since it looks like the NI-MH would be better suited for the winter here?

And I agree, that the depreciation is huge, hence the reason for searching for used cars, but around here, dealers that have used inventory are selling them for more than what I would pay for the new one, unless they are almost 7 or more years old, and there are hardly any private sale postings as well.

I guess too what is making me nervous about the used, is that it is actually a year older, and has more mileage than my current vehicle which is already having issues (And I took care of it too). For instance, It will probably need a second CV axle soon, as well as it having a known weakness on wheel bearings (typically go out after only 60k), along with the air conditioner failing from a leak in the condenser, and now running a bit rougher than I remember, and the fan speed switch acting up, minor things, but, not exactly inspiring confidence in its reliability / cost of repairs for the future in a car that is only 5 years old), basically I am trying to replace it while it still has some value before it becomes a money pit, and so am worried that a car that is older and with more miles will be just as bad or worse.